Speaking at an event hosted by young conservatives from the pro-equal marriage group, Freedom to Marry, in Washington last night, Meghan McCain expressed the difficulty of being a pro-gay marriage Republican.

The blogger also tweeted that she was “excited” to be involved with the talk, and said it is a “cause close to my heart.”

She was joined by Margaret Hoover, a Republican LGBT rights activist. Hoover said: “we want a Republican Party where Rob Portman and [Rand] Paul and Marco Rubio all are in the same room. And that’s code for ‘freedom to marry’ gets a seat at the table,” she said. “So there really is a new movement, a new day, for the conservative movement, for the Republican Party. It’s all starting now. The timing is perfect.”

Hoover also suggested that she hopes to see a future where conservatives took on other LGBT rights issues, including the Violence Against Women Act